Argus is a fixed-model real time flow monitor designed to track and
report on the status and performance of all network transactions seen in
a data network traffic stream. Argus provides a common data format for
reporting flow metrics such as connectivity, capacity, demand, loss,
delay, and jitter on a per transaction basis. The record format that
Argus uses is flexible and extensible, supporting generic flow
identifiers and metrics, as well as application/protocol specific
information.

Argus can be used to analyze and report on the contents of packet
capture files or it can run as a continuous monitor, examining data from
a live interface; generating an audit log of all the network activity
seen in the packet stream. Argus can be deployed to monitor individual
end-systems, or an entire enterprises network activity. As a continuous
monitor, Argus provides both push and pull data handling models, to
allow flexible strategies for collecting network audit data.
